Why perceptions of being “soft” on China will increasingly be a political liability in the US. 

Synopsis: Each fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the biggest global talking points with expert guests.

Relations between China and the US are in for more rough weather with bipartisan consensus on China in the United States, a new House Committee hawkish on China, and visits to Taiwan by US lawmakers imminent which are bound to upset Beijing.

Find out why intensifying political contestation in the United States in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election will have an impact on relations with China.

In this episode, to assess the path ahead for the contentious and fragile relationship, Nirmal Ghosh hosts Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for South-east Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Dr Adrian Ang, Research Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore. 

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:31 After the Xi-Biden summit in Bali in November 2022, both sides were searching for a base in the relationship 

2:41 No dedicated hotline unlike during the Cold War; Biden’s China policy is tougher than Donald Trump’s

5:10 New House Select Committee on China will put more pressure on the Administration to be tougher on China

06:13 House Committee on China Chair visiting Taiwan in late spring will further strain the relationship

7:08 China is the last bipartisan issue in which there is consensus in the United States; no daylight between the parties 

Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani

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